Changes to the Academic Year: What it Means for Arts & Science Students
Why is the Faculty making these changes?
How will these changes affect course content?
How were these decisions made?
Why do we have to start in Labour Day week?
What impact will this have on 2009 Orientation?
Will the new academic year schedule affect my OSAP?
Beginning in September 2009, we are introducing breaks into the Fall Term: a 2-day Fall Break in November, and a 2-day Study Period in December between the end of classes and the beginning of exams. Where possible, both breaks will be appended to a weekend to make a 4-day weekend. Also, the Winter Term will now always end by April 30. There will be a 2- to 3-week period between the April exams and the beginning of the summer session.
To accommodate these changes, the Fall and Winter Terms will each have 12 weeks of instruction rather than 13. The pre-exam Study Period in the Winter Term will be shortened to the same length as the Fall pre-exam Study Period.
As in the past, when possible, classes for the Fall Term will begin the Monday after Labour Day. (But note that this is not possible in 2009.) Reading Week in the Winter will remain as it is, and will coincide with the February Family Day holiday.
The Summer Session will also change to be consistent with the number of instruction weeks in the Fall/Winter Session. The F and S Terms in the Summer Session will each be six weeks, and Y courses in the Summer Session will have two 6-week terms.
The new academic calendar will start September 2009. The Summer Session in 2009 will follow the older model, and Summer 2010 will come into line with the new model.
You can also view a visual representation of these dates.
- 2009 Fall Term
- Wednesday, September 9 – Classes start
- Monday, October 12 – Thanksgiving (no classes)
- Wednesday, November 11: Wed classes do not meet but Monday classes do.
- Thursday, November 12 through Sunday, November15 – Fall Break
- Friday, December 4 – Classes end
- Saturday, December 5 through Tuesday, December 8 – Study Period
- Wednesday, December 9 through Friday, December 18 – Exams
- 2010 Winter Term
- Monday, January 4 – Classes resume
- Saturday, Feb 13 through Sunday February 21 – Reading Week (this includes Feb. 15 Family Day)
- Thursday, April 1 – Classes end
- Friday, April 2 – Good Friday
- Saturday, April 3 through Tuesday, April 6 – Study Period
- Wednesday, April 7 through Friday, April 23 – Exam Period
Why is the Faculty making these changes?
We are making these changes in response to concerns that our students have expressed over many years and with a view to improving their academic experience.
In the current academic calendar, the Fall and Winter Terms are imbalanced and it simply is not fair to students, especially those taking Fall Term half courses. Fall term has no study breaks: students go straight from 13 weeks of classroom instruction into two weeks of exams without a pause. This is hardest on first-year students making the transition to a university workload. By contrast, the older model currently has two full-week breaks in the Winter Term, one for Reading Week and one for Study Week prior to exams, which often stretches the Exam Period well into May. Given the increasing number of half-courses being offered, the Faculty decided to redress this imbalance.
We expect the changes will benefit students because they will have breaks built into the calendar in Fall and Winter Terms (and between the two Summer terms) that will allow them an opportunity to catch up on their work and absorb what they're learning.
In addition, we have long heard how frustrating it has been for our students that exams can drag on well into May. This is especially difficult when they are competing for summer jobs with students from other universities that finish sooner. By ensuring we finish no later than April 30, our students will be able to compete for summer jobs starting at the beginning of May, avoid paying May rent, etc. Also, the interval between the Fall/Winter and Summer Sessions may provide an opportunity for students to take part in innovative curricular initiatives such as field courses or international experiences if they choose to do so, or to have a significant break before summer session begins.
How will these changes affect course content?
Teaching faculty will adapt their course material to fit the new academic year. It is expected that course material will be reviewed and edited selectively to fit into the new time frame in the way that best suits the pedagogical needs of each course.
How were these decisions made?
The decision to change the academic year arose from a broad consultation over many years. Although several committees had studied the issue since 2003, the final impetus for the change has been the Curriculum Renewal process in Arts & Science over the past few years. Curriculum Renewal has involved a number of broadly representative committees whose membership of students, faculty, and registrarial staff reflects the focus on improving the academic experience for all our students. All policy changes recommended by these committees – including the proposal to change the academic year – are brought to Faculty Council for discussion and for vote in order to be adopted by the Faculty.
The input on changing the academic year in particular drew on the many years of experience college registrarial advisors have had talking with students about their academic needs and stresses. The two elements that came forward strongly from those who deal with students were the need for some kind of break in the Fall Term, and the need to finish by the end of April. Town Hall meetings and extensive discussion over the last two years all reinforced these points. Even instructors who would find it a challenge to adapt their course content to the 12-week format recognized how students would benefit from this change.
The yearly calendar poses a challenge to anyone trying to maintain consistency in scheduling the academic year. In some years like 2009-2010, Labour Day falls later in September, making it difficult to fit in all that is needed, including the 12 weeks of instruction, Fall Break, Study Period, and Exam Period, before the University closes for the December break. Other years when the cycle moves along, the pressure comes in the Spring Term, making it a challenge to fit in the 12 weeks, Reading Week, a Study Period and the Exam Period before the end of April.
Why do we have to start in Labour Day week?
This is largely a function of the cycle of calendar years that brings Labour Day very late next year. We began in Labour Day week in 2004 for the same reason. In 2009, once again this would have been necessary even with our current academic year schedule. The problem is that we need 14 weeks plus 3 (working) days for the term + exam period, and there are only 14 weeks between September 14, 2009 (the Monday after Labour Day) and December 18, 2009 (the last day the University is open before the winter holiday period). To have all the days we need, we must start during Labour Day week.
(Note that the change in the academic year schedule does not affect our need to start in Labour Day week, because the Fall Term is the same length in both the old and new schedule. While the current term has 13 weeks of instruction, the new term has 12 weeks of instruction plus one week of break time for the same total length of 13 weeks.)
The one unusual feature of next year's Fall Term will be the "Wednesday as Monday" that happens on November 11. We normally have one shortened week in the Fall Term because of the Thanksgiving Monday holiday. Since we have already reduced instruction by one week, we could not afford for Monday classes to lose that day of instruction as well, especially the 3-hour evening classes where one class meeting is the equivalent of a week's work. Since the two breaks used four days, we took the "extra" day left from the five-day week and used it to make up for Thanksgiving Monday. And so right before the Fall Break in 2009, Wednesday November 11 will be treated as a "virtual Monday" –classes will meet that day as if it were Monday and Wednesday classes will not meet. Fortunately, for students in those courses that meet both Monday and Wednesday, you won't notice the difference.
What impact will this have on 2009 Orientation?
Orientation in 2009 will be different, but it would have been different even without these changes. Those weighing this change knew that the calendar would pose a challenge for our conventional full week of orientation activities, with either our current or new academic year model. Everyone recognizes the importance of newly-admitted students getting the benefits of a good introduction to university life. Since neither model of academic year will allow for this full week in the next couple of years, those in the Student Life area, who work closely with students on orientation planning, thought this would be a good opportunity to take a fresh look at orientation to see if what might be a challenge could be turned into an opportunity
The Deans of Students, Coordinators of Student and Residence Life, and the Student Life staff in the Provost's Office are meeting now with student leaders to explore new ideas so upper-year students can continue to give new students a good welcome that will get them off to a good start. If you would like to join in that discussion, you should contact the leaders of your college's student society.
Will the new academic year schedule affect my OSAP?
Not much at all. OSAP calculates a student's loan entitlement by adding the fixed costs like books and tuition to a weekly living allowance multiplied by the number of weeks of the academic year. Finishing by the end of April will mean that the living allowance for those weeks in May will no longer be included in the total. Balanced against this is the opportunity to begin summer jobs May 1, and the fact that you won't actually have to spend on rent or other expenses to live at school for those two weeks. But the main thing to remember is that any reduction in the amount a student may get in OSAP is a reduction in loan. This should be more than compensated for by summer income for those weeks in May that can be saved for the next year's expenses.
